All directory small business guide: Part one

This short guide is produced to help small businesses in the UK starting out get a good grounding in sound principles which will stand them in good stead when it comes to developing their company. Good Book Keeping Tips Good book keeping is one of the most important should be learned, when starting up and maintaining a good and profitable business. Many new businesses go under every year not because of lack of turnover, or profits, but because they do not keep proper books and have no idea of their financial state and whether their cash flow is in the red or the black. Bad book keeping can also send companies into a state of turmoil when their tax returns are due. The taxman is not impressed by businesses that are not quite sure of their incomings and outgoings. But this need not be the case and these days even the smallest of businesses can keep themselves up to scratch by following a few simple rules. Use a book keeping software: There are many good software's that are inexpensive to buy and easy to use and will, so long as you feed in the appropriate figures, semi automate most of your day to day book keeping. Always keep a back up: However reliable your system is, there is always a chance that it will fail, so always back up your accounts as often as possible and keep a separate copy on disk, in a different place to the computer. Do not throw away paperwork: Even after you have fed the data into the accounting software keep all of your paperwork. You can never have too many back ups and if all else fails then you will always have all your transactions on paper. Do your accounts every day: This means your accounts can be done quickly and prevents the whole thing backing up and getting out of hand. If you don't make the space to do one days book keeping, when will you make the space to do three weeks worth! Always keep cheques and invoices in order: This means that if you need to go back and check, then it is all consecutively numbered and easy to find. Although there is a great deal more to book keeping than this, following these simple rules will help you to make the most of your system and make it less likely that you will get into a confusion about your books and your finances. Local Chambers of Commerce, What are They and How Can They Help Local chambers of commerce comprise a huge network dedicated to helping all forms of business in their local area. They are part of the largest business support group in the country, with a total of over 135,000 members. But they still, by operating at a local level, manage to stay in touch with the needs and aspirations of their members. This makes them the first and very often the only call for business people seeking support and information. They are able to help providing training and modern apprentices and to can assist both the business and the trainee in this regard. This can be in a variety of fields from the traditional industries to the professional and even high tech cutting edge businesses. They also work in both the public and private sector. Local chambers of commerce can be a great source of information for businesses looking to get into export or import markets. They are able to provide good solid background knowledge of different countries, ways of doing business and the paperwork and documents that may be required. They can also save money for their members on basic business essentials such as insurance, healthcare and pensions. By virtue of their huge membership they are able to gain large discounts from many of these organizations. The local chamber s of commerce is a good source of advice on almost any business activity. They encompass nearly all areas of business and as such are able to help with many of the problems that businesses encounter. Being run by the local businesses themselves, the local chambers of commerce are a great way to network with others locally that are in your industry. Networking is a very powerful business tool and meeting those who are in the same field can have many advantages. For anyone who is in business the benefits of joining the local chambers of commerce can be significant. With their huge wealth of knowledge and facilities they can be an asset for most types of businesses.